The present invention relates generally to retaining wall systems and more particularly to retaining wall systems configured to serve as a compaction form and positioning aid for backfill material.
Typically, retaining wall systems include upright panel portions and leg portions at a transverse angle with the upright portions. For example, some conventional retaining wall systems are formed from sheets of welded wire panels that are bent in half at a right angle to form a bottom leg portion and an upright face portion. The bottom leg portion of the wire welded panel is typically placed horizontally on a compacted backfill material such that the upright face portion is at an upright angle. Backfill material is then laid on top of the bottom leg portion to anchor the panels.
However, compacting backfill material on these retaining wall systems can lead to deflection in the upright portions. Accordingly, some conventional retaining wall systems also include struts extending at a forty-five degree angle from the tops of the upright portion of the panels to distal regions of the leg portions to prevent the backfill material from causing deflection of the upright portion. However, these struts can create obstacles in the placement and compaction of backfill material on the bottom leg of the panels. For example, an operator compacting backfill material in such conventional systems must navigate around the struts extending at an angle to the leg portions. Accordingly, more time and labor is required to adequately compact the backfill material and, moreover, some backfill material may even be so obstructed by the struts that the operator is unable to sufficiently compact it at all. Furthermore, the conventional wire panels are typically formed of steel that is either allowed to corrode or protected by a zinc or epoxy coating. Steel and its protective coatings are generally costly and subject to significant price volatility.
Therefore, there is a need for an inexpensive retaining wall system that inhibits deflection of the face panels without obstructing the backfill material laid for compaction and provides better long-term durability performance.